Back at his original weight class, Jared Gordon is ready to make a run in the featherweight division.
Gordon (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC), a former CFFC 145-pound champion, stopped Michel Quinones in the second round in his UFC debut in 2017, but missed the featherweight limit by three pounds. The weight miss prompted a move up to lightweight where Gordon went 2-3.
But in his past outing at UFC on ESPN 13 in July, Gordon decided to move back down to 145 pounds where he defeated Chris Fishgold via unanimous decision. His recent changes also included a move to Sanford MMA in Florida, and Gordon is excited to finally reach his full potential in the UFC.
“I’m in the right place. I just got a new contract, I’m coming off a win, I got a nice raise, I’m back at ’45,” he told MMA Junkie Radio. “I really feel like I’m gonna hit a stride here. I think I’m flying under the radar, too. My game is underrated. I have a skillset that most people do not possess.”
Gordon returns at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20 where he’ll take on Columbian Danny Chavez. Though Gordon’s record may not accurately reflect his work in the octagon, “Flash” has managed to rack up some impressive numbers with his high-pressure ground game.
“When I take people down, they normally don’t get up,” Gordon said. “I’m beating you up on the floor and in ground strikes, I’m top five in UFC history. I think I’m in front of GSP, and I’m behind Kamaru (Usman), I’m behind Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Tatiana Suarez. I put up numbers. I take you down, you’re gonna have a hard time there.”
He continued, “If you look at me on paper, it’s like, ‘Oh this guy is 4-3.’ I lost to two guys that are ranked top 10, Ferreira and Oliveira. My other loss is in a ‘Fight of the Night’ that I was winning every round, every judge’s scorecard – my hamstring ripped off my pelvis so I was on one leg in the third round…if you know what you’re talking about and you look at my record on paper, you’re like ‘well, this guy has fought some monsters,’ and I was fighting out of my weight class. So I think I’m flying under the radar, and I know I’m gonna hit my stride, and I’m gonna go on a tear.”
Armed with new UFC contract, Jared Gordon says he’s ready to hit stride at featherweight
